newmercman:
There’s a simple reason that snow messes the roads up… speed, either too much causing loss of control or too little causing loss of momentum.
In any case three inches of snow causing the country to grind to a halt is shameful.
You forgot the other reason, the media. They tell people it’s ‘Arctic like’, ‘treacherous’, ‘dangerous’, ‘appalling’, ‘horrendous’ and so on when it’s just a few inches. This gets people into the wrong mind set and they go out in their vehicle already fearing the worst and downright scared in some cases. They then become a liability and get stuck in the simplest of situations to get out of.
i hear truck drivers saying about an auto gearbox truck and it’s going to be a problem in the snow before they even set off. I drove an auto for years all over Europe, mainly either a Volvo or a Daf, and encountered wintry conditions in places like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Poland. Far worse than we ever see here and the auto gearbox was never an issue in being able to keep going or get out of a situation.
My favourite media and winter thing was a couple of winters ago when Britain was ‘In the grip of Artic conditions bringing chaos’. On Sky News, might have been BBC, there was a reporter talking to camera dressed in full winter gear, North Face parka and so on, leaning iover at a jaunty angle to make it look like a blizzard was blowing while a couple of flakes made a lazy journey to the ground. He was telling the viewers how people were unable to get to work, they were stuck in their homes, it was terrible, won’t someone think of the children and so on. At that moment a woman of quite advanced years strolled past him in the background pulling her shopping trolley. Didn’t seem she was having too much problem.
newmercman:
There’s a simple reason that snow messes the roads up… speed, either too much causing loss of control or too little causing loss of momentum.
In any case three inches of snow causing the country to grind to a halt is shameful.
You forgot the other reason, the media. They tell people it’s ‘Arctic like’, ‘treacherous’, ‘dangerous’, ‘appalling’, ‘horrendous’ and so on when it’s just a few inches. This gets people into the wrong mind set and they go out in their vehicle already fearing the worst and downright scared in some cases. They then become a liability and get stuck in the simplest of situations to get out of.
The media love to cover all the chaos, meanwhile loads of other people are just getting on with it, not just truck drivers, they go to work or as a friend of mine did a couple of years ago, took the day off (as holiday) as it was a great chance to spend the day playing in the snow with his children great day for them all.
I run around in Canada with an I shift with no problems and we get the odd bit of snow over here.
I used my Dodge Charger all year round too and that had normal fast car tyres, a 5.7ltr V8 and the first thing I did when I started that was turn the traction control off
I’m not in possession of any extraordinary winter driving skills, it’s more a case of just getting on with it.
However even though I’m on my 8th winter here now, it takes a couple of weeks to get into the groove, with a few days here and there you lot don’t get the chance to do that, so it does explain a lot.
About 2 year’s ago, one Friday, I was heading up to Heysham docks on the M6 and it really started coming down. Got just before the Wigan turn off and it was stop start, slipping and sliding everywhere. I was just about getting grip.
Phoned up transport and told them "This ain’t gona happen, I’ve got no chance of getting the trailer there in time to meet the ferry. Was told to turn around and they’ll get the trailer out of Birkenhead the next day.
Came off at Wigan (A49) around the round about and back on the M6 southbound. If I’d have gone past that junction I’d have been there for the night as there were Artic’s stranded all over the carriageway.
Luxury nowadays with curtain siders and containers. We were out there with ropes and sheets whether it was rain, sleet or snow. Using common sense is the key, but there seems to be a shortage of it since the elf ’ n safety and pc brigade started running the asylum.
peterm:
Luxury nowadays with curtain siders and containers. We were out there with ropes and sheets whether it was rain, sleet or snow. Using common sense is the key, but there seems to be a shortage of it since the elf ’ n safety and pc brigade started running the asylum.
People in suit’s always ■■■■ everything up for the rest of us. You only have to look at City Link. Although on the other hand, hero’s always die young.
Jeeez this thread is full of a mixture of testosterone, over exaggerated knob size, large ■■■■■■■■ and pure bull crap.
So most of you say if you show the slightest bit of reluctance to drive in snow, ice, and heavy gales your ■■■■■■■■■ and gender is in question, what a pile of pure ■■■■■■■■
I wonder how many of the unfortunate guys that have died in the past shared the same infantile view ffs.
I have done this job for more winters that I want to remember, and on the odd occasion I have felt it to be unsafe I have parked up and watched d/heads like some on here blow over, or ditch the motor in snow, and on 3 occasions some have ended up traveling southbound on the north bound side. The last time I abandoned the job was around 82 on Shap/Tebay stretch on black ice, when the gritters were on strike, the other time was in the storms in 86 when Thelwall was like a stock car track and/or battlefield. So I am also a …(.fill in the blank ) am I?
So to the new and inexperienced drivers on here, take no ■■■■■■ notice of the insecure Billy Bigbollocks on here, and if YOU think it’s unsafe ring in and park up, it’s got ■■■■ all to do with h+s, it’s just plain common sense and self preservation,…the job ain’t worth getting seriously injured or worse.
Sorry to use the old soldier routine but back in the day there were no traffic planners and regardless of the weather…you went.
It wasn’t a matter of being a real man or a wimp… it was what you were paid to do.
And the vast majority coped with it.
del949:
Sorry to use the old soldier routine but back in the day there were no traffic planners and regardless of the weather…you went.
It wasn’t a matter of being a real man or a wimp… it was what you were paid to do.
And the vast majority coped with it.
Hence why many of you folks in the real world in 2015 are working 15hr days, some are even washing a lorry down off card after shift, not to mention those guys who will go down the yard on a weekend to kit the truck out.
Like the old and bold say!
That’s what we do get on with it
It’s because you spineless wallopers in your day didn’t stand up, that folks this day and age have to do the same you muppets did.
Disclaimer, I don’t do any of above, for reasons above my control ie I was born with lateral thinking.
del949:
Sorry to use the old soldier routine but back in the day there were no traffic planners and regardless of the weather…you went.
It wasn’t a matter of being a real man or a wimp… it was what you were paid to do.
And the vast majority coped with it.
Hence why many of you folks in the real world in 2015 are working 15hr days, some are even washing a lorry down off card after shift
Having been there in the day when we had proper winters,unlike the hysterical whingeing of the media etc today in the case of marginally cold weather and a bit of snow,I’m guessing that del ( rightly ) meant that we just got on with it.In the same the way that we’d have told the guvnor that the hours regs max limits were just that not a target.I was doing a night trunk from Feltham-Bristol-Feltham-Maidstone-Feltham without complaint during this typical 1980’s winter weather event for example.
Scheduled runs and JIT are a big problem too, there’s no such thing as a booking time when the weather’s bad, it gets there when it gets there, that’s the big difference in countries that get a lot of snow and that’s how it was in Britain a few years ago.
Nowadays everyone is programmed like a robot, point a to point b takes x amount of time and that’s when it all goes wrong.
Running to Italy in the winter used to take an extra day sometimes, the boss would get a phone call telling him at some point and that was that, now you get satellite messages or phone calls every five minutes telling you that you’re going to miss a booking time.
thetastytrucker:
It should be made law that when say a yellow alert is issued hgvs are banned for specific time
In todays H & S restricted society where a safety briefing is needed just to use a coffee machine this is not as daft as it sounds. IMHO
But theres still enough proper drivers around capabale of making the ultimate decision as captains of their ship.
As i’m not a proper driver by any stretch of the imagination I will gues what they would do.
For Snow
1st thing to consider is the conditions (obviously), the vehicle (what usefull gizmos does it have to help- dif locks, etc), your load weight + load positioning for traction.
2nd the extras available if the poop should hit the wind machine, shovel, salt, snow chains (if needed), enough food and provisions to survive if stranded for any length of time.
3rd The route, is any part of it totally impassible and are their alternatives, keep radio on for traffic bulletins, weather reports etc
4th Tackle, check whether you have a ■■■■■ and man up a bit (if your one of those blokes that needs a cubicle for a wee, best stay at home), in ladies cases ensure you have ■■■■ flaps of steel
5th The least important thing of all and barely worth mentioning is the urgency of the load as this factor will cloud your better judgement so for these conditions its a non urgent delivery, but it would be nice to arrive in the near future and preferably in one piece.
If at this point the mission is a go’er proceed with caution and drive to the conditions, the responsibility for choosing to brave the artic weather is yours.
Not definitive, just my opinion and how I imagine real men cope in these conditions.
Edit: Also check in your cab to see if you have a film crew on board, if so chances are you will be asked to do some daft things to make the programme a bit more interesting…
thetastytrucker:
It should be made law that when say a yellow alert is issued hgvs are banned for specific time
Yeah, think of all the unplanned night out threads there would be then. They park you up in some European countries and its infuriating to be parked up when there’s a dusting of snow. Like other have said if a lorry driver cant drive in a bit of snow he has no place driving a lorry
Armagedon:
If you cannot drive your commercial vehicle in adverse weather conditions perhaps you should restrict yourself to summer driving or seek
alternative emploment.I expect some of our Scottish/Northern drivers will be off to the Maldives till the weather improves as they usually
do this time of the year.
Well said, it beggars belief it really does, drivers my arse ladyboys more like, totally pathetiic.
it does beggar belief really doesn’t it ,a tesco driver who has risk assessments telling him how too get too a shop,how too drive in too the place and even what spot too park in calling other drivers ladyboys .
its your desision what you do ,I arrived for work to be told to get up there asap as they were desperate for help ( no idea why at that time ) ,when I got there 12 o’clock I was given a load that should of been there at 6 am ,I’m assuming drivers hadn’t turned up,snow,hangover etc .
Asked what I was doing when I got tipped ( 7 drops ) ,told I doubt you’ll get those drops done and when/ if done I’d be heading home ,set off and roads weren’t bad though there was car after car in ditches .
Had a few heart in the mouth moments ,sliding down hills ( and yes as some say these could of ended in disaster as some say ) and a few out with spade to get going ,but we got done 7 p.m ( 3 hrs wait as truck in front had broke tail lift at last drop) .
n.b the bit that makes you laugh is all this snow / ice at shop doesn’t warrant a mention ,but when I said I’d tip load on path outside shop as I can’t get in too designated spot due too truck with broke tail lift there I’ get get risk assessment says no ,you could seriously injure a pedestrian ,we will get the sack if anything happens etc etc ,
As I say it’s down too the driver,but don’t expect anything of the planner/ t.o staff/ manger who sent you out other than disciplinary or sack
I will drive when it’s snowing, not because I think I’m some hero, but because you can with a reasonable margin of safety if you take your time and plan ahead.
In some way I was lucky that my first full time truck driving job for a decent small family firm, trucks weren’t much to write home about, and pay wasn’t the best, but they treated you well. When it snowed you had the say, the boss would just say “forget delivery time, if you can get there great” But the final decision was the drivers and it should remain so.
In the UK weather conditions can change within a few miles, the driver is the person there, not the planner or even the met office, I believe we had a weather warning for snow here for the other night, not seen a flake. The same goes during high wind, there is a lot of difference driving a double decker and flatbed, so at what point do the powers that be say stop?
The thing that has to change is the driver decision has to be respected, but that’s up to drivers to be professional and not be hero’s or use it as an excuse not to work. Every race team I’ve worked for are left in no doubt that I will stop driving if I think conditions are dangerous, no arguments.
Our fleet engineer chooses to fit our (Daf auto) units with tyres designed for high mileage, consequently they have very little/ no grip in adverse conditions.
Sometimes when the roads are only wet, it is difficult to start off on an incline without spinning the wheels.
this thread is full of a mixture of testosterone, over exaggerated knob size, large ■■■■■■■■ and pure bull crap.
